Teen Titans, next generation
by shadowrider97
Summary: The Titans have moved on with their lives, and now Jump City is a nest of crime nearly as bad as Gotham! Now, a new generation of heroes must take up the torch and protect the good people of Jump! Better than the summary. T because I I'm cautious that way
1. A Dark Hero

Alrighty then, Rider here! I just wanted to thank CajunKing000 for letting me borrow your idea! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! If you haven't already, please check out his story "The Reluctant Heroes"! It's awesome! Now to the main event, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans but if I did there would be much more BBRAE moments, nor do I own any references that may or may not appear.

Chapter 1: A Dark Hero

Link Harker let out a yawn as he sat up. His alleyway was dark, dawn only just beginning to illuminate the opening on the far side of the alley his cardboard hut resided in. Between the dumpsters and the brick buildings that lined it on either side, it appeared to be no different than any other alley in Jump City. It was this defining feature that had made Link choose this place as his home; it was inconspicuous. And in a city who's criminal underworld nearly rivaled Gotham's before Batman had arrived, inconspicuous was a **very **good thing.

The city hadn't always been that way. Before, when the Titans made their home in the large T-shaped house on the island in the bay, the city had been peaceful. It was practically a utopia, a golden era for Jump. That is, until the heroes grew up. Eventually, when the city was all but at peace, they moved on with their lives, some even joining the Justice League. When word had spread, crime bosses, and criminal overlords made their way to the city, and it descended into chaos.

As Link rolled out from the small square home he had made for himself, using cardboard boxes in the back corner of the alley, he paused to take a look at himself. His ragged black hair hung down in front of his dark eyes, which made his skin seemed pale by comparison, even though his skin tone was somewhere between white and Native American, depending on the light. His black leather jacket with a charcoal grey cloth hood was unzipped to reveal his black tee-shirt. Black skate shoes stuck out from the bottom of his jeans. The sixteen year old looked ragged, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Flipping up his hood and zipping up the jacket, he jogged out of the alley and down the street.

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He been jogging for about an hour when he finally stopped. He looked around as he caught his breath. He was a better part of town (more or less), somewhere around the center of town. To his right was a park. It was a block of grass and trees with a playground on his right side, a fountain in the center, and a bus stop on the left side. Since the park was only about a block, he could see the cars on the far side.

To his left was a small shopping center. There was a circle of concrete with a large clock tower in its middle, surrounded on all sides (except for the one facing Link) by shops arrayed like houses in a cul-de-sac. He turned towards there and bought breakfast from a bakery before crossing the street and entering the park. He walked over to one of the benches that surrounded the fountain. Searching underneath, he pulled out an envelope. He opened it up and pulled out a small slip of paper with typed words.

**_"Franky's Diner: 3000$ -King"_ **

That was that was writen. With a sigh, Link turned and headed down the street. Working so far away from home ment that he had a long walk, but it probably saved his life more than once. Angry people tended to look in the wrong places for him when they came for revenge. Nevertheless, he felt a twinge of fear as he turned the corner and approached the small cafe with the large red sign displaying in cursive, "**_Franky's_**". With a sigh, Link opened the door, walked in, and moved towards the counter.

The diner was small, looking like the stereotypical diner you might see in an old movie, with the round booths lining the walls, and metal tables and chairs dotting the floor. Across the far wall, a long counter stretched before curving around a set of double doors.

The woman working the counter looked up as he approached. "Is there anything I can get you, Hon?" She asked.

"I'm here to see Franky," Link replied evenly.

The woman shook her head. "Sorry, Franky isn't here right now, try again later."

Link shrugged and sighed like he was disappointed, before giving the woman a sad smile. "I see. Well, I'm sure King will understand when I tell him Franky wasn't here to give me the money he owes."

At the mention of the name, the woman went pale and her eyes widened. "K-King?" She whispered. When the boy nodded, she licked her lips and gave him a nervous smile. "You know what? I think I **just **heard him come in! Come on back and we'll get this all sorted out!" With that, she led him around the counter and through the double doors into the back. Walking through the kitchen, they arrived at a small wooden door with the word "_**Franky**_" engraved on it in golden letters. The woman opened the door and peeked her head in. "Boss? You have a visitor. He says- he says he's with King!"

"Let him in," said a voice on the other side. It might have appeared brave if it hadn't quivered there at the end. Entering the room, Link found himself in a rather plain room, with only a few pictures, cabinets, and a large wooden desk in the center being the decorations. On the other side of the desk, in a large wooden chair, sat a rather portly man in a white shirt with the restaurant's logo on the front and shorts. He was bald, though he made up for it with his thick white mustache. His blue eyes stared nonchalantly at some paper in his head, barely giving the boy a passing glance, though his shaking hands belied his true fear. Link stood there in silence, waiting. Finally, when the man could no longer take it, Franky set down his paper and spoke. "So what can I do for you, boy?"

Without a word, the boy placed the slip of paper he had retrieved from the envelope on the desk. After the man had picked it up, Link spoke. "King isn't happy that you've been missing payments. He's a patient man, but even he has his limits. He wants all the money you owe him, **today**."

"Ah, I see," said the man. "Well, here's the thing. Darby offered me a better deal and I think I want to take it. Nothing personal or anything, it's just business."

Link nodded in understanding. "Well that makes sense. But you see, I really couldn't care less. You can work that out with King. I'm only here for the 3 grand you owe. Now pay up, or I break you." The fact that he was completely calm and showed no outward signs of any emotion save boredom only made his words all the more terrifying. He heard the door open behind him but he didn't turn around. From the sound of their footsteps, the pair of men that walked in must have been large.

"That's your problem, I'm afraid," said Franky as he suddenly found his confidence. "Now get him out of here, and make sure to teach him **not** to come back!"

Link gave another sigh as the pair approached. Suddenly, he whipped around and punch the crotch of the first with his right hand, taking a look at them at the same time. Franky must have had a thing for stereotypes, first with the restaurant and now with the goons. They looked like any other big scary muscle-heads you'd see in movies; tall, big, bald, and in suits.

As the man doubled over, Link took his free left hand and brought it to the back of the man's head shoved it downwards, into his rising knee. Caught between the two forces, the man's nose gave a sickening crunch and he was lifted into the air before landing down on the ground, unconscious.

Without missing a beat, Link jumped towards the wooden desk, using it to push off of and into the air. The other goon, who had momentarily stopped to gape at his comrade, turned just in time to get roundhouse kicked in the face. He flew backwards and slammed into the wall before crumpling to the floor.

With his enemy safely dispatched, Link turned to look back at Franky, whom now cowered behind his desk. "Now, I'm a nice guy, so if you give me the money without anymore trouble, I'll forget this ever happened. And Darby? Seriously? You thought he even stands and snowball's chance in Hell against King? Please. The guy's just a brat with a big mouth. It's like a house cat going up against a saber-tooth tiger."

"H-H-Here," yelled Franky in fear. "Just take the money and leave me alone!" With that, the old man tossed a bag, which the boy caught with ease. He opened it and did a quick count. Satisfied, he turned and walked out the door.

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Link had been waiting for a half hour, not that he cared. Knight always took his time, and on one was dumb enough to try and cross King's right-hand man. He glanced up at the clock that stood in the shopping center he had arrived at earlier. He was in front of one of the shops he had seen, and had spent his time wandering around until the man came.

"Sorry I'm late," said a voice behind him. Link managed to stop from jumping in surprise as he turned around. In front of him was a tall man in a tailored suit, like a lawyer. His eyes were covered by a pair of black sunglasses and his short blonde hair was spiked. "I'm afraid I had other business to take care of. Darby won't be much of a problem anymore though." The smile on the man's face sent a small shiver down Link's spine.

"Here, now can I get payed?" Said Link as he handed Knight the bag he had retrieved from Franky. Knight reached in the bag and handed Link a wad of cash. Link raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to count it?" He asked.

"Kid, you're one of the best enforcers we have, and you aren't even a meta!" Replied Knight with a chuckle. "I trust you not to make mistakes like that."

Link only shrugged. "All right then, I'm going now." With that, Link began to walk away. He didn't get far, however, when he felt a sudden flare of pain in his chest and head, simultaneously. He doubled over, leaning against a nearby window for support as he gasped for breath.

"Still getting those attacks, huh?" Asked Knight sympathetically from behind him. "That's your only problem. Get over those and you'd be perfect. They seem to be getting more frequent though," he mused. "If you have one of those on an assignment, you're toast. Too bad you're not a meta with healing powers, eh?" He chuckled as he walked towards the street. Just as he reached the curb, a black car pulled up and he got inside before it drove away.

Link looked up at his reflection in the window as the pain began to fade. He stared into his own dark eyes as he caught his breath. There was one problem, though.

At that moment, his eyes weren't dark. They were a silvery-blue, and his black hair was turning white. He watched as a strange aura of silvery-blue energy seeped from his hands, flowing over them like water. Closing his eyes, and clenching his fists, he concentrated hard. When he opened his eyes again, they were dark, as was his hair, and his hands no longer seeped energy.

"I'm not a meta, huh? If only you knew..."

END OF CHAPTER

I will be excepting OCs unless I say otherwise. Tell me their name (real [must have] with alias [optional]) , appearance, personality (optional), and power. The more in depth the better. It will be first come, first serve if you want your character on the team. I'm still thinking about the number of people that will be on it, I don't know if I want there to be 5 or 7, so we'll see. Others we can see about being loner heroes or villains. PM me if you have OCs! please review! Until next time, gnomes are evil!


	2. The Slacker Duo

Thanks for everyone who's sent in OCs so far! There are still one last place left on the team, plus loner heroes and villains so keep on sending them in!

Chapter 2: The Slacker Duo

_The ground rumbled and debris sprang into the air. Smoke crowded his lungs as Marcus ran forward. The building shattered around them as the group sprinted forward._

"...Sh..."

_The person beside Marcus stumbled, causing a roadblock as everyone stopped to help her. He looked up and saw the doorway was collapsing. Underneath it stood a boy with white hair, frozen as he stared out at whatever lay beyond. Marcus recognized the boy and relief flowed over him. If it was **him** then they had nothing to worry about. He was more than strong enough to hold it open for them._

"...Shaw..."

_The white haired boy turned back to stare at them, the expression in his silvery-blue eyes unreadable. A shiver ran down Marcus's back as, for the first time since entering this Hell, he doubted one of his squad mates. __Fear flowed through him as he began to give voice to his horrors, causing the others to pause and glance at the white haired figure._

_"No... No, no, no, no, **NO!**" _

"...Mr. Shaw..."

_"Don't do it!" Marcus screamed. But the white haired boy said nothing. His only reply was to turn and continue on his way, leaving them to their fates. __All of his fear gave way to horror and despair as the ceiling over the doorway collapsed, sealing them in._

"Mr. Shaw..."

_Marcus fell to his knees, starring at the wreckage in disbelief. Then, all of his despair turned to hatred. He sucked in a breath and released a scream that held of his emotion. It gave voice to all his hatred and fury. It gave name to the one he would destroy._

_"**LINK!**"_

"Mr Shaw!" Yelled the angry voice of Mrs. Dobbs from beside his desk.

Seventeen year old Marcus Shaw jumped from the nap he'd been taking in his desk at the back corner of the classroom and looked up at his math teacher. "True! False! All of the above?" he shouted.

Mrs. Dobbs scowled while the rest of the class erupted into laughter. "Please refrain from sleeping in class or I'll have to send you to the dean!" She yelled.

"I can't help it! I have to sleep at least 30 hours a day if you want me to be rested up enough to pay attention!"

"You know," she said slowly, "If you paid attention, you'd realize just how impossible that is! Mr. Lear," she called as she turned to the boy sitting beside Marcus. "Please make sure that Mr. Shaw remains awake for the duration of class!"

Mat Lear, Marcus's best friend, groaned. "Do I have to?" he complained. "But that's too much work!" Mat was somewhat shorter and Marcus, standing at about 5'5 with short, messy brown hair and multicolored eyes, the left being red and the right being green. He wore a green pullover hoodie, faded black jeans, old work boots, and white tinted googles that were lifted up onto his forehead. Attached to his waist was a leather bag, the contents of which chinked slight as he moved.

"I don't care, just do it!" Mrs. Dobbs snapped, her patience expended.

"Whatever," he replied. As soon as the teacher turned around, Marcus slumped forward. "You were having the dream again?" Asked Mat quietly.

"How'd you know?" Asked Marcus, his voice muffled by his arms.

"You were muttering in your sleep again. You sounded angry. That only happens when you think about **him**."

Marcus said nothing as he turned his head away to look out the window. His reflection stared back at him. He had short, messy brown hair, much like Mat, and hazel eyes with some stubble around his chin. He was taller than just about everyone else his age with a lean build. He had on a long sleeved plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, unbuttoned to reveal his orange tank top. His jeans were ripped at the knees and his orange skate shoes laid flat on the floor.

"You wanna talk about it?" Asked Mat.

"Not really," he replied. Mat shrugged and turned away, too lazy to pry. They sat like that until the bell rang for lunch.

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The pair sat down at a table in the corner, away from most prying eyes. Mat reached into the pouch at his waist and removed a pair of metal ball bearings which he began levitating above his hand, making them circle each other in the air.

"You must really hate this Link guy," mused Mat. "What the Hell happened between you two?"

"It's a long story," replied Marcus. "I really don't want to get into it."

"Why not? I think it must be some story to make you that mad. That's like you're defining feature; you **never **get mad! Come on, tell me!"

Marcus's only reply was to point to the rotating balls. An orange square appeared between them like a wall, stopping them from continuing their movements. He smirked at the glare Mat leveled at him. "I should hit you, you know that?" he muttered.

"Dude, you control metal, and I can make neon orange energy walls. Bring it."

"Was Link a meta, too?" Mat asked suddenly.

"Ya..." Said Marcus reluctantly.

"What were his powers?" Asked Mat in excitement.

"And you complained about **me** acting out of character. You never try this hard to do anything of your own free will! And I said I don't wanna talk about it!"

Mat shrugged. "What can I say, you've peaked my interest. And you've already started talking! I just wanna know about his powers!"

Marcus suddenly turned serious. "Believe me, you don't need to know. If you're ever unfortunate enough to meet him, knowing won't help you live any longer."

Mat blinked, suddenly nervous. _Live any longer? As in, he'll kill me? Just like that? Who the Hell **is **this Link guy?_

"You don't want to know," said Marcus, interrupting his thoughts.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Asked Mat.

"It's obvious. I'd think you were crazy if you weren't." The bell suddenly rang, signaling the end of lunch. As Marcus stood and walked away, Mat heard him utter one last phase that made his blood turn cold.

"All you need to know about him is that he's the man I'm going to kill."

END

Dun dun daaaaa! Scary! You can thank CajunKing000 for Marcus and waterfire98 for Mat. Please keep sending in OCs! Until next time, don't get eaten by rabid squirrels! And review! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	3. A New Hero (Sort of)

Alrighty then! Thanks for everyone that reviewed! I have filled up all slots for the team, but I'm still accepting for loner heroes and villains! Keep them coming guys!

Chapter 3: There's a New Hero in Town (Sort of)

Elizabeth Jane Sinclair was not happy. Here she was, walking home with her best friend Luca James, subtlety flirting and trying to get him to see her as more than a friend, and here he was being totally oblivious to the eighteen year olds attempts. She sighed in exasperation.

Elizabeth was a slim girl with a light bone structure covered by white skin with a slight tan. She had on a sky blue prairie skirt that stretched down to her mid calfs, covering her calf high boots. A white sash was wrapped comfortably around her waist. A green tunic flowed around her with her movements. Her copper colored hair was tied back in a ponytail that dropped down to the middle of her back and her smoky grey eyes were narrowed in annoyance.

"This is a **huge** opportunity!" exclaimed Luca. "I mean, I've been asked to do an article for **the **Daily Jump! They're the number one newspaper in the city! What I'm I gonna do?" he pondered.

"'Going to'," she corrected.

Luca was roughly 5'8 with a slightly muscular build. His curly auburn hair accented is ivory skin nicely. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled with excitement as he spoke.

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Well, I'll find something. Does something feel... Different?" He asked suddenly, his expression turning to confusion. Looking up, Elizabeth realized that they had reached her home street without her even realizing it. Her house wasn't anything special, just a three bedroom, two bath. The lawn was neatly trimmed, and everything look clean and spotless. Not surprising since her mother was a **major **neat freak.

Only... Everything wasn't perfectly spotless. It was hard to place, almost impossible if one hadn't lived there for years, but Elizabeth could tell. There were subtle differences, a tuft of dirt kicked up, a window not closed, a wear-and-tear on the door that hadn't been there when she'd left. Looking around, she realized that most of the houses on the street had that same feel to it.

They hurried inside. What was there was nothing, literally.

Her house had been robbed.

In the middle of the living room where the couch had once been, her parents were standing as her father held her crying mother. Her dad looked up as they walked in and smiled tiredly. "They took everything but the walls," he informed them, foregoing the unnecessary pleasantries. "They did the same to most of the block. We've called the police, but I don't exactly have high hopes. If they're competent enough to catch them at all, they won't be locked up long."

That was Daniel Christopher Sinclair for you, always getting straight to the point without pulling any punches. He was a large man, like a lumberjack, with his shaggy mahogany hair that fell to his ears only accenting his rugged appearance.

The woman in is arms sniffled and wiped her eyes as she leaned back to give them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, your father is only joking," she said, almost managing to convince them. "The police will have the crooks arrested and all our stuff back in a jiffy!"

Eleanor Caitlin Sinclair had always been kind that way, trying to give hope where there was almost none. Eleanor was almost like a future Elizabeth, their features practically identical. The only real difference was the fact the Eleanor kept her hair trimmed at shoulder length.

That was all her words were: empty. Everyone knew that most of the police force was either corrupt or incompetent. Those few good men left over didn't have the power to do much because of that. Even if the men were captured, whoever they worked for would have them back out on the street in no time. Even though she knew it was hopeless, Elizabeth knew she had to do something.

"I know what my story will be," said Luca, interrupting her train of thought. "I'll expose whoever did this, and put them behind bars!" With that, he turned and ran out the door.

Her father laughed heartily. "That boy has a heart of gold! Too bad it's of no use though."

_Maybe for him..._

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An hour later, Elizabeth was walking out of the thrift shop with a new hoodie, baggie pants, gloves, and a ski mask. Thank God she would only need them for tonight. They just felt... Unnatural on her. She quickly changed and went on her way.

She moved behind a nearby wall and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. _Think Elizabeth, think!_ It was helpful that her mind was far superior to most normal humans. She could thank her meta gene for that. _They've only been gone for a short time... They would need a lot of big trucks to move that much stuff... They would have to go... There!_ her eyes shot open and she took off down the street.

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Soon she arrived at an old abandoned construction yard. Crouching behind a pile of steel girders, she stared out at what lay beyond. There, in the center of the yard, just beneath the skeletal remains of some unfinished building, was a cluster of moving trucks and group of people milling around that were illuminated by several floodlights that had been set up. As she watched, the group split up, half getting in some of the trucks and driving off, the other half continuing to do whatever it was they were doing. Doing a quick once over, she counted twenty three men and eight trucks. Suddenly, she found herself doubting the wisdom of her plan. _What_ _am I even doing here? __I can't take on this many guys, it's suicide! _She gulped and began backing away.

"What's that?" She heard one of the criminals say suddenly. She froze, expecting to feel a hand grasp her at any moment. But none came. Instead, she heard the sounds of something being grabbed and an "umpf!" as someone was thrown to the ground. Elizabeth turned back and her heart skipped a beat as she stared at a familiar head of curly auburn hair that lay on the ground, surrounded by a large group of men.

_No, no, no, no! Why did it have to be him? _But as much as she hated it, the fact of the matter was that Luca was the one laying there. _Why did he have to figure out where they went? __So much for getting out of here... _

"What should we do with him?" Asked one of the men.

"Well it's obvious," replied another as he cocked his gun, turning her blood cold.

To his credit, Luca showed no fear in the face of his present condition. "I've already called the cops," he informed them. "They'll be here any minute!"

"Ya right!" The gunman laughed. "The police are in King's pocket! They won't lift a finger against us!"

"What's going on? We need to get a move on!" Called a voice impatiently. Suddenly, they all shut up. A figure moved into the light, making Elizabeth blink in confusion. The man who appeared to be the leader of the criminals was... A kid? She was starring into the face of a black haired boy even younger than she was, only sixteen, maybe seventeen, wearing a leather jacket and jeans.

"W-W-Well Link," stuttered the man who had first spoke. "W-W-We found t-this p-punk k-kid snooping around. H-he was yelling about callin' the cops and we was just telling him how they wouldn't do nothin' about it, 'cause they're all working for King." He and his buddies all started grinning like he had just said something funny, his misuse of grammar making Elizabeth flinch.

"**HE DID WHAT!**" screamed Link in shock. The grins vanished from all their faces. "**Do you have any idea how bad this is?!** Sure, King could have McNair make sure to keep the case running into a bunch of dead ends while we're getting the heck out of here, but now that they know exactly where we are, they can't just turn a blind eye anymore!"

"B-But they'll at least give us time to get away, right?" asked the man nervously.

"Were you born stupid, or is it just one of your hobbies?" Asked Link slowly. "If it got out that the police had learned about a massive theft operation and let them get away, the corruption in the DA's office would be exposed to the world! The Feds would force the city's infrastructure to be rebuilt from the ground up, which would make the guys in charge lose their influence, which they **defiantly** won't like! Not to mention, King would lose a Hell of a lot more money having to pay off all the new officials than he would to get us out of jail and from the loss of the shipment, which he won't do anyways. If they caught this large a group of criminals and then just set them free it would have the same result! No matter what, if we stay here, we lose!"

"S-So you're s-saying w-we're done for?" Asked a man in fear.

"Why the Hell did we even do this in the first place?!" Screamed another.

"No, we're not," said Link tiredly. "This is exactly why Knight put me in charge of this operation. And we did this because there are too many troublemakers out there, both for the idealists in the police and crime bosses that are getting big heads, and they needed to be reminded that King is in charge, and there is nothing they can do about it." Was it just her imagination, or did he sound... Bitter as he said that last part?

"W-What should we do?" Asked the gunman hopefully.

Link was silent for a while before he sighed. "Someone get me Knight on the line. I'm calling it off. We've already sent out the Stevenson, Fredricks, and Parker shipments, but we'll have to ditch the rest."

"What do we do about the kid?" Asked the gunman as he turned to Luca.

Link stared down at him, considering. "I'll take him with me," he said finally. "Knight will figure out something."

Elizabeth took that as her sign to get moving. Sticking to the shadows, she quickly moved towards the trucks. She stopped just as she reached the edges of the shadows. Picking out the farthest truck from her, she began to concentrate hard. Suddenly, the engine roared to life, calling the attention of all the men.

"Someone's in the truck!" One of them yelled as he ran towards it. Concentrating again, she flung the door open right as the goon was passing by. There was a heavy **thunk** as he was slammed backwards and through the air before landing nearby, where he remained. Shouts rang through the air as the men started to run around wildly. Elizabeth could only grin as she made the truck begin to move forward, simultaneously starting the engine of another. Now that the men were thoroughly distracted, she ran forward to where Luca lay, still turning on engines and making the trucks drive around in separate directions.

"Are you-" she paused, realizing that he might recognize her voice which would utterly defeat the whole purpose of buying that disguise earlier; to protect her identity. Clearing her throat, she continued in a lower octave. "Are you alright?"

"Um, ya. I think so," he replied. "Though, I lost my camera when they grabbed me."

"Come on," she said. "You can worry about that later, we need to move." With that, she grabbed hold of his arm and they began running towards the exit.

_Yes! _she thought happily as they neared the front gates. _We're home free! _Suddenly, a figure stepped from the shadows in front of them, barring their path.

It was Link.

He looked them up and down before glancing at the trucks and then at Elizabeth. "Technopathy?" he asked. She said nothing in reply. "I thought so," he said, nodding as though she had just confirmed it. "I was wondering when you were going to stop hiding behind those girders and make your move."

"You knew I was there?" She asked in shock.

"Of course," he replied. "I saw you as soon as you entered the construction yard. I'm just a nice guy and decided not to say anything," he added with a smirk. "Now, I suggest you get out of here quickly. Those guys may be idiots, but even they won't fall for your little parlor trick forever."

He suddenly stepped aside to let them pass. Elizabeth blinked in confusion. "You're letting us go?" She asked, forgetting for a moment to disguise her voice. She flinched and glanced back towards Luca, expecting to see shock and recognition in his eyes. And starring at him she saw... Confusion? He didn't recognize her voice. Her best friend/crush **didn't recognize her voice! **Sure, that was a good thing since it protected her secret identity, but nothing? Seriously?

Turning back to Link, she could have sworn he smiled. "And you're a girl. Are we done stating the obvious now?"

"Um, not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but why?" Asked Luca curiously.

"Call it a whim," he replied. "And in return for this whim, I suggest you forgo my name when you hand in your newspaper article, Luca James, or I will hunt you down and crush you in the most painful way imaginable."

"How'd you know my name," Luca asked in surprise. Link raised an eyebrow before lifting up a large black camera with lens and flash still attached. On the bottom of it was a white sticker with the words _"Property of Luca James" _written in sharpie. "Oh."

"Now get out of here already!" Link said angrily as he shoved the camera into Luca's hands. "You're little stunt has worn off," he added with a nod towards the thieves who were no longer running around in circles. Elizabeth grabbed Luca's hand and began to move off into the night.

"Hey girl, wait." Said Link, causing Elizabeth to pause. Link seemed nervous for a moment, almost as though he was afraid to say whatever it was he wanted to say. "If you... If you ever see a kid named Marcus Shaw, tell him I'm sorry. I never meant to leave everyone like that, but I had no choice."

"What?" she asked in confusion. But Link was already gone. _Marcus Shaw? _She wondered. _Why does that name sound so familiar?_

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Elizabeth continued to ponder those words as she sat down for lunch the next day. Thankfully, the police had found and returned most of the stolen stuff, and arrested many of the men that hadn't escaped the scene before the cops had arrived. She hadn't heard anything about Link, but she wasn't too worried. Something told her he had made it out all right. He just didn't strike her as the type to get caught easily.

"Guess what," said Luca as he took his seat next to her, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?"

"I got my article published! It even made the front page!"

"That's great news!" She said. "Can I see it?" He nodded as he pulled out today's issue of the Daily Jump. The headline made her heart skip a beat.

_**"There's a New Superhero in Jump City!"**_

Her eyes flew over the rest of the article.

**_"Stops major heist..."_**

_I hadn't even meant too! Well I did, but I changed my mind!_

**_"Saved local reporter..."_**

_He wasn't even supposed to be there!_

_**"Exposed the corruption of the police force's own Riley McNair..."**_

_That was all Link just chewing out those idiots!_

_**"Looks like people with be able to sleep soundly once again..."**_

_It was just a one time thing!_

"It's great, huh?" Said Luca proudly.

"Ya... Just great," she replied as she tried not to let her horror show. In her distraction at her new crisis, she forgot all about Link's request. And so, she didn't even notice as the pair of boys known as Mat Lear and Marcus Shaw moved passed her on their way to their table in the back corner of the room.


	4. The Cloak and the Shield

Sorry for the wait! I've had some personal stuff going on so I haven't had a chance to work. Ok, since there seems to be some confusion, let me clarify. Unless you request otherwise with your OCs, all relationships are strictly friend or enemy. Pairings must be sent in if want them. I'm still excepting OCs for loners and villains, but the team is full. Thank you very much!

Chapter 4: The Cloak and the Shield.

Sixteen year old Aegis Shadow ran her finger over the spines of the books that lined the shelves. Pausing, she gripped a book, slid it off the self, and made her way to the front counter. When she had learned that Grindelhoff's Book Shop had the book she had been looking for, Aegis had sprinted off as fast as she could before the store closed for the night.

Grindelhoff's reminded Aegis of Ollivanders wand shop from Harry Potter; small, cramped, and filled to the brim. There was almost no room to walk, the ground covered with tall bookshelves and piles of literature. Mr. Grindelhoff was a short man with a balding head with glasses and a large white mustache.(A/N: Yes, I did just use the bookshop from Trouble in Tokyo. Though I didn't know the name so I used my own.)

Mr. Grindelhoff smiled at her as she handed him the book. "That's an interesting birthmark," he said as he rang up the book.

Aegis glanced down at the symbol on her right palm. It was a simple circle with a triangle inside. "Um, ya. I get that a lot." She gave a small smile before turning and exiting the shop.

It was dark as she emerged from the book store. Her Native American skin, in addition to the leather jacket she wore over her Avengers tank top, made her all into the night. Her choppy brown hair swished as she walked, causing the feather in her hair to bounce. Her denim shorts revealed her toned legs that were partially covered by her black combat boots.

She decided to read while she walked, seeing as she knew a short-cut home that didn't pass by any busy streets. Soon she was engrossed in her book, her body moving mechanically towards her house. Oblivious to the world as she was, she didn't realize she was no longer alone until an echoing chuckle reached her ears. Looking up, she saw a group of ten grown men sounding a boy who appeared to be not much older than herself in the middle of the otherwise empty street.

The men were all armed.

Some of them with crowbars, some with pipes, and one even held a baseball bat. They all grinned as they circled the boy, who only watched them with an amused smile. It defiantly didn't look like a friendly meet-and-greet.

"You know," Said the boy calmly. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to do this with a girl. I'm not one, so that means one of three things. One: You **really **need glasses, two: you guys are all stupid, or three: you guys are all gay. I, however, am not. Good luck with that. Well, I suppose there is always option number four..." He paused, looking at each one of the in turn. "You're here to kill me."

Aegis blinked as she watched grins widen all around. "That's where your wrong, Link," said the thug with the bat. "We want you **alive**. See, King knows all about that stunt you pulled with the reporter and that new hero. Because of you, he's lost quite the sum of money. He's not very happy with you right now, so he's put out a bounty on your head. It's 100 grand if your dead, but 150 if we bring you in alive. And word is, he's hired a hitman from the Arena. We're gonna take you down before a big shot like that gets to you."

The boy suddenly froze. Aegis watch with a little interest as the color drained from his face. "D-Did you say the A-Arena?" He asked casually as he licked his lips. His facade was ruined by the quiver in his voice. Aegis had no idea what this "Arena" was, but obviously Link did.

And it terrified him.

"Ya," replied the man. "But you don't need to worry, 'cause you're goin' down right now!" With that, he jumped forward to try and club the boy with his bat.

Link wasn't even phased. His right hand shot out to grab the thug's wrist. Using the man's own momentum, he pushed the weapon passed the boy's head, simultaneously kicking the man's legs out from underneath him. As he fell, Link grabbed his throat with his left hand, shoving him backward. The thug backflipped before crashing to the ground, where he remained.

Aegis raised an eyebrow. This guy was good.

"You guys should have waited for the extra help from the Arena," Link sighed. "If you had then-" He stopped as he doubled over, crying out in pain. Aegis blinked in confusion as a strange silvery-blue aura began rising around the screaming boy whose hair was beginning to change into a strange shade of white. The men were frozen in shock, and Aegis knew that it was only a matter of time before they realized that he was helpless and decided to press their advantage. She knew she should just walk away. It was the smart thing to do, and no one would blame her for doing it. That was exactly what she told herself as she watched the men begin moving towards the withering boy.

"Fos Skotadi Dimiourgia!"

The men were stopped as two of them were nailed on the head and knocked unconscious. The group suddenly found themselves staring into the face of a Native American girl carrying a short sword in her right hand with a shield strapped to her left as she stood protectively over the screaming boy. A quick swipe from the blade sent the thugs scurrying backwards.

She didn't take her eyes off the men as she listened to Link's breathing stabilize before he stumbled to his feet and they went back-to-back. "Thanks," he mumbled to her as the light faded from around him and his hair returned to its normal color. "Now, who are you?"

"Can we save the introductions until after we deal with uglies 1 through 7?"

"Fair enough. Do you use magic or spacial manipulation?"

"Magic. I'm surprised you have such understanding of meta abilities. How did you know what my powers were?"

"I've dealt with my fair share, as you can probably tell. And I figured it out when I saw you reading before things went south, because you miraculously appeared with weapons in your hands. I figured that your powers worked along those lines. Either that, or you're just airport securities worst nightmare."

"You talk too much." She dead-panned.

"And you don't have a sense of humor, we're even," he shot back. "Seriously, are you this serious all the time? Raven must have been your role model or something. Granted, I never actually met the woman, but I've heard stories."

"Can you shut up? They're moving," said Aegis as she watched the men begin tightening the perimeter.

"Can you make me a weapon with your powers?" he asked suddenly.

"Fos Skotadi Dimiourgia!" She shouted. Suddenly, the mark on her palm glowed as it expanded. Several circles like those used in alchemy appeared in the air as runes flowed around them. A large hammer with a square top appeared in the air and Link quickly gripped it.

He paused as he assessed the weapon. "Mjornir? Seriously? Do I **look** like Thor to you? I mean, it's not like this is some kind of comic book you know!"

Aegis shrugged. "I like Marvel, okay?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. **For Asgard**!" He ran forward and slammed the weapon into the first of the thugs, lifting him off his feet. Using his momentum, he punched the next in his jaw, which resulted in a sickening **crack**. Still continuing his spin, he smashed the hammer into the stomach of the third sending him flying through the air.

The other four thugs stared down Aegis, noting that her blade was blunt. Following their eyes, she spoke. "This sword isn't meant for stabbing. It's a magic lightning blade. In other words, it's a really big taser."

To confirm her words, she shot the point forward into the chest of the first man, causing his body to crumple and begin having spasms. She swung the blade around to club the next in the side, producing similar results. Using her shield, she knocked the third to the ground before stabbing the point into his stomach.

The fourth, and apparently the smartest, dropped his weapon and ran away screaming like a little girl.

"Not bad," said Link as he acknowledged her work.

"Thanks," she replied as she made the weapons vanish. "Now, what's the Arena?"

He froze. "Why do you want to know that?" He asked cautiously.

She shrugged. "I enjoy the pursuit of knowledge. If I don't know something, I want to learn it. There is no harm in learning as much as you can."

"Yes, yes there is," he replied. "And I see no reason to tell you anything."

Aegis cocked an eyebrow. "Other than the fact that I just stuck my neck out for you?"

"I didn't ask you to!" He shot back.

"Regardless," she replied calmly, "I did save you. If I had simply done nothing you would probably be dead right now, or at least on your way to it. The least you could do is answer one simple question."

He glared at her for a time. She simply stared stoically back at him. Finally he sighed. "Fine, but not here. I don't want to be here when Little Miss Muffet gets back to her tuffet with lots of very big friends to squash this spider." He added a nod in the direction the thug had ran off as he spoke.

"Fair enough," she agreed. "We can head to my place. My parents are never home as it is, so there isn't anyone to complain about you staying, nor ease drop. Plus, I don't think your place is going to be very safe at this point." At his nod, they set off down the street.

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Aegis sat in her home reading her book as she waited for Link to get out of the shower. Well, she sat in the apartment her parents left her while they traveled around the world that is. The place was messy and cluttered with nearly as many books as Grindelhoff's, perhaps even more. They sat on selves or piles on the floor. She had left narrow trails connecting each room, but for the most part, if you moved you would wind up kicking books. Alongside the books were weapons and equipment from all over the world and from every era sitting on racks or leaned carefully against the walls. If Link had realized that many of them weren't even from this dimension, or if he had noticed them at all, he hadn't shown it.

Everything in the apartment was a treasure. Aegis, wisely knowing that he was filthy and was nervous that he would probably ruin many of her books because of it, had made Link's first order of business to take a shower. She sat her book down as she heard the water turn off. A minute later, the door opened a crack and Link's voice filled the room.

"Are you sure you want to know about the Arena? Sometimes ignorance is bliss you know."

She took a deep breath. "I want to know," she replied.

He went silent for a while before speaking. "Don't say I didn't warn you." With that he stepped clear of the doorway and she got a good look at him. His dark hair was wet and all he wore was a pair of old jeans. Most girls would be transfixed by his muscular frame. It was a good thing Aegis wasn't most girls. She had a lot more self-control than that. Of course, with Link it wasn't too hard. He wasn't like most boys either.

Most guys didn't look like something out of a Frankenstein movie.

His body was criss-crossed with some many scars and burns that she had to consciously seek out unblemished skin. Outside of his face and hands, there was almost none, only a few patches here and there. If she didn't have so much self-control, Aegis might have puked at the sight. As it was, she went queasy thinking about the Hell he must have suffered to gain such an appearance. She didn't have a clue how he was still alive afterwards.

"This is the Arena," he said quietly. "I was all but born in it, so I look a Hell of a lot worse than most people." He quickly put on a shirt and found a place to sit. "In order to understand the Arena, you're going to have to hear my life story. Deal with it." Aegis nodded, wordlessly.

He took a deep breath. "First off, a little definition of it. It was originally called the HIVE Academy. After the Titans took down Brother Blood, it was taken over by a group of people who modified it until it became the Arena. HIVE may have been made to train super villains, but even they had lines that they wouldn't cross. The Arena wasn't so kind. They sought to create an army of living weapons, both human and meta, to be rented out as mercenaries and assassins. It worked, too."

He paused to take another breath as though he didn't like talking about it. "My meta gene activated when my mother was in labor. The result was... Devastating to say the least." Aegis felt a sudden stab of pity for the boy. "My father's mind became clouded in his grief. A representative of the Arena was working undercover in the hospital to see if there were any promising new test subjects being revealed and he saw me. My ability is somewhat rare, and the Arena wanted it. It's called the Cloak, more on that later. He decided to take advantage of my father's grief and offered to... Trade me for a substantial sum. I'm not sure how much was offered, but my father had a hatred for me, seeing me as an abomination, so he accepted."

"Wait," Aegis interrupted, "he **sold** you?"

Link's expression tightened. "If you want to be blunt about it, then yes, he sold me. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get this story over with?" Aegis nodded slowly. "Good. Anyways, so that's how I grew up. I endured torturous experimentation every day, along with a surprising good education for Hell on Earth. Go figure? Anyway, when I was thirteen I became a squad leader. The Arena organizes the children it abducts into six man squads that compete against each other in matches, sometimes to the death. Based on your squads wins vs. losses, you were ranked. Those squads with higher ranks were granted special privileges: more food, less experimentation time, longer sleeping times, more likely to have people stop the fights before they got out of hand, etc. The lower rankers were deemed less worthy and had to join the fight-to-the-death club."

He paused again. "The ultimate goal was to become a Spartan. They were the 'graduates' of the Arena. Those are the mercenaries and assassins that make the Arena so successful. My team was one of the best, working our way through the ranks until we were promoted to sub-Spartan, which is kind of like Spartan 101. They get all the best advantages of the squads, and they're even allowed to go out into the world to work on missions! That was kind of a huge deal."

Aegis watched as his expression turned grief-stricken. "I got cocky. I thought that I was invincible, that I couldn't make mistakes. Because of my arrogance, one of my squad mates died. Her name was Baylee, and she was only 9 years old. Nine! And do you know what they said? 'Next time, don't fail. At least she was useless!' That's when I realized I couldn't take it anymore, that I had to get out. So I got together in secret with some other squad leaders and we made an escaped plan. Hundreds of kids were involved, and it worked. Unfortunately, out of those hundreds, only a few dozen actually made it to the end. The others either died in the attempt, didn't manage to meet up with us... Or worse, they were recaptured. We were at the end of everything when the building started to collapse. I ran ahead of the others to get to the entrance, and what I saw on the other side broke me."

Aegis watched Link's hands clench at the memory, but didn't comment. Whatever reservations he had about the story had vanished in the torrent of emotions he felt as he told his tale. "We had walked right into a trap. Six Spartans were waiting to take us in right outside. I had to make a choice. I could wait for the others to catch up and have the Spartans crush us, or turn back and we could all find another way out. Of course, the Spartans would simply dig their way through the rubble and we would be right back where we started. So I did the only thing I could think of. I attacked the Spartans."

"You attacked them?" Aegis asked. Link blinked like he had forgotten she was even there before he shrugged.

"It was the only option. I had no illusions that I could defeat a Spartan on my own, much less an entire squad, but I figured I could by the others a minute or two to find another way out. It worked, and I used the last of my strength to escape my enemies. I've been on my own trying to keep off the Arena's radar ever since. I've managed by not using my powers, but doing that comes with its own problems. It isn't exactly good for my health, as you witnessed earlier."

"You haven't tried to meet up with the other escapees?" Aegis asked.

His expression turned sad. "I can't. None of them saw the Spartans on the other side, so to them it looked like I had just abandoned them to die. Anything I could say to the contrary would only look like an excuse. Besides, I don't know where they are. The only one I've managed to track down was a kid named Marcus Shaw. He had only been around for a few weeks before we made the escape plan, but he hates me well enough. The guy would've made a decent leader if it wasn't for his perpetual drowsiness. That guy spends all his free time napping the day away. He lives here in Jump with a foster family."

"I see..." The girl replied. What else was she supposed to say to a story like that? "Well, thanks for telling me, I guess."

Link smiled. "No, thank you. It feels nice to get that all off my chest."

The girl felt her cheeks go warm. "R-Right. So, what's this Cloak of your's?" she asked.

Link hesitated before giving a small shrug. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Aegis watched as his hair turned white and a silvery-blue aura radiated from him. It wrapped around his body, looking almost like water, and mist came off of him like the mist that fell from an ice cube. Small sparks of blue lightning flickered across his skin. When he opened his eyes, their color matched that of his aura. The way it encircled him did somewhat remind her of a cloak, though it seemed more like a morph-suit.

"I can manipulate its form to match what ever I picture. The scientist at the Arena compared it to the way the Green Lantern manipulates Will." He lifted his hand up to demonstrate. She watched as some of the aura peeled off of his hand and shifted until a small flower levitated above his hand, which then flew over and lodged itself in her hair. She pretended not to notice. "I can only control enough energy to cover its entire surface area. The surface area varies depending on how much energy I have saved up. Thanks to the fact that the energy has been building all this time, that means that the surface area right now is a lot. If I run out, I can either rest to regain it, or I can use my other ability. I can absorb energy through the palms of my hands." With his show done, he allowed the aura to fade and his hair and eyes returned to their normal colors.

Aegis cleared her throat. "You can stay here until things calm down enough for you to go out on your own," she said, getting back to business.

Link smiled at her. "Thank you. It's much appreciated."

Aegis felt her cheeks growing warm again, though she showed no sign of it. "Good. But just so you know, I can't have you staying here looking like that. Tomorrow we're going to get you some new cloths." With that, she stood and hurried into her room.

END

Thanks to Interested Puppy for Aegis and your support! If any of you want to see what her power symbol thingy is, Puppy has a link on her profile. As always, please rewiew!


	5. Birth of the Titans (part 1)

Alright, sorry for the long update! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Also, a little early birthday present for my good friend Interested Puppy! Happy birthday! I still need loners and villains! Also, I want to know what you all think about me making a spinoff for Titans East. Tell me your thoughts. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 5: Birth of the Titans (part 1)

"Are you going to pick something or what?" grumbled Aegis as she tried to hide behind the racks of clothes and prayed she wouldn't be seen. The pair wondered through one of the mall's many clothes stores trying to find Link an outfit so that none of his former employers would recognize him. Unfortunatly, he rather liked his outfit and there was nothing Aegis could say to convince him to find something else.

"I just can't seem to find anything that really matches my style," he replied. "Maybe we should try someplace else?"

"This is already the third place we've been to!" Aegis practically yelled. "You either pick something in the next five minutes or so help me, I will drag you down to the little girls' section and force you into a bright pink Disney Princess shirt and a tutu! And then there is no way I'm letting you back in my house like that!"

Link blinked. He could tell he had **really **tried her patience this time. She **never **got that mad. _She must really hate shopping,_ he thought. As he opened his mouth to reply, a voice interrupted him from behind.

"You found a scary one this time, eh Link?" Link paled before slowly turning around to face the speaker. The look on his face as his gaze rested on the figure that had approached them from behind without their knowledge said that his worst fears had been confirmed. It was a dark skinned woman, a few shades darker than Mexican or Native American, but not quite African, with long black, extremely curly hair pulled back in a pony tail. She was dressed like a soldier with a black tank top, a pair of baggy camo pants, and black combat boots. Strapped to her hip was a long bowie knife that, for some reason or another, security hadn't taken away. The crimson droplets on the woman's hands suggested that it hadn't been for lack of trying. From the way Link was reacting to her presence, Aegis figured that she was the one sent from the Arena.

The woman smiled cruelly at Link as his hair and eyes began to lighten. "Ah, come on!" She complained. "It's been so long, Linky Boy! Is that any way to treat an old friend! We used to have so much fun together! You know, you screaming as I carved up your flesh like a turkey on Thanksgiving!"

Link stared at her with hatred and replied with a single word.

"Reyna."

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"Mat, please wake Marcus up now, we're leaving." Called Mrs. Lear from somewhere out of sight. "And yes, you have to. Don't give me that 'It's too much work' line either!"

Mat groaned before turning to where Marcus sat in the chair next to him, his head in his arms on the table. Then, he he lifted his leg and simply kicked the boy out of his seat and onto the floor. The barrier maker's only response was to grunt and go back to sleep. "Get up already!" the magnetic boy complained. "If you don't get up, I'm the one she's gonna yell at!" He added to his complaint with a kick.

Groaning, Marcus sat up and stretched. "How is that my problem again?" He asked.

"Because then I'll doodle on your face in class," Mat replied with a perfectly straight face. The pair sat at a table near the edge of the mall's food court. The court was on the balcony of the fifth (and top) floor and overlooked the entire central area. Mat's mother had needed to do some shopping and offered to buy Mat a video game if he came, and Mat had then made Marcus come. Now, as they prepared to leave, the pair looked out over the edge one last time.

The mall was built in a U-shape with the front doors at the opening. An escalator sat exactly opposite the doors, stopping at each of the five floors. In the center, between the doors and the escalator was a large fountain.

They looked just in time to hear screaming. A second later, the entire front wall of a third floor clothing store shattered open as a silvery-blue figure was thrown through it and onto the ground floor, smashing the fountain. Screaming civilians and bystanders ran through the opening and towards the exits as a massive dark shape began to move towards the opening. Marcus, however, wasn't looking at the hole in the wall, rather what had first come through it. "Link," he growled, all his previous drowsiness leaving him instantly.

Mat blinked. "Wow, you have really good eyesight. Are you wearing contacts or something?" Marcus ignored him as he turned and sprinted towards the escalator.

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"What about this one?" Asked Elizabeth as she held up another camera for Luca to inspect.

"No, it doesn't have far enough zoom," he replied before turning to admire some of the others. "I need to be able to get all the details!"

In celebration of Luca's new job, the pair had gone down to the mall to try and find him a new camera, one more suited to the job of a reporter. So far, they had looked at ten different ones and Luca had managed to find a problem with each of them. Elizabeth's patience was beginning to wear thin. Just as she opened her mouth to tell him to just pick one already, a loud **BOOM **echoed around them and part of the roof collapsed, separating them.

"LUCA!" Screamed Elizabeth.

"I'm fine!" She heard him reply from someplace beyond the rubble. "Just a little shocked is all! I'll make my way out the back exit and meet up with you outside!"

"Ok! Be careful!" She called before turning and sprinting towards the front doors. She looked out over the balcony of the second floor and saw the fountain in shambles. A Native American girl was helping a white-haired boy that was coated in a strange silvery-blue aura out of the rubble. "Wait a minute..." muttered Elizabeth, "Isn't that..." She didn't have time to finish the thought before a large shape dropped passed her. The only details she saw was that it was big, dark, and hairy. Blinking, she made the split second decision and sprinted to the escalators. She looked back towards the fountain in time to see it explode with orange light.

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"Wow, that sucked," muttered Aegis as she yanked Link back to his feet.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," grumbled Link in reply. "I'm a little out of practice, give me a break! Plus, she caught me off guard. I won't lose again!"

"**LINK!**" screamed a voice from behind them.

The white-haired boy blinked and turned. "Marcus?" The only reply he received was a pillar of orange energy to his chest. Link was launched into the air before Aegis grabbed him.

"Now I see why you didn't try and tell him the truth," she said as he stood. The pair turned to face the duo of boys that had suddenly appeared before them. The one at the front stepped forward at struck out with his hand. A square of orange energy appeared in front of it which expanded outward rapidly, forming a pillar which shot towards them.

"I don't have time for this," grumbled Link. His hand flung outward to meet the oncoming pillar. As his palm touched the orange construct, the energy was suddenly sucked into it like a black hole. After it was gone, the Cloak seemed to brighten slightly. Link took a breath and the energy around his fist brightened even further. He flung his arm out and a pulse of energy shot out at the boy, who raised a shield in time to stop it.

Just as Marcus seemed about to retaliate, a dark shape crashed onto the ground beside them. They turned to face a hulking, hairy beast as it rose to its feet. It stood nearly nine feet tall with thick, coarse fur covering its entire body. Golden eyes glared at them over a muzzle full of long, sharp teeth. Claws extended from long fingers and toes that sat beneath the tattered remains of a pair of camo pants that had been torn apart by its greasy black fur.

Marcus blinked before his eyes widened. "Is that-!"

"Yep," interrupted Link. "Reyna the Werewolf, one of the Spartan elites, and a royal pain in my-"

The werewolf roared before leaping forward at the white-haired boy. The ground suddenly rumbled as a cannon of water shot out from the remains of the fountain before crashing into the body of the beast and launching it backwards towards a tech shop. The window shattered as the beast passed through it and landed in the store. As it rose to its feet, the store came alive as every piece of equipment turned on and blared their noises at full blast. Reyna's hands went to her ears and she howled with pain.

"Are you alright?" Asked a voice. They all turned to face a girl in a prairie shirt as she ran towards them.

"That voice... Girlie?!" Exclaimed Link. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"I'm shopping, obviously!" she replied in exasperation. "Now, does anyone want to tell me what is going on here?"

The front of the tech shop was suddenly filled with broken electronics as Reyna roared in fury and destroyed that which had just be used against her. Link sighed as he watched her tear a path. He quickly glanced at Aegis and she nodded.

"Go, I'll handle things here," she told him. Without another word, Link sprinted forward.

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"And that's the story," finished Aegis as she watched Link get tossed around by the werewolf. Without the Cloak, he would've been long dead. _I feel like I'm watching the baby scene from Men in Black..._ She thought to herself.

She glanced over to judge Marcus's reaction. His face was unreadable as he watched the fight. Finally he sighed. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to believe anymore. But I guess if he dies, I'll never learn the truth. Plus, I know for a fact that I hate Reyna." With that, he turned and gave Mat a nod, who shrugged in reply.

The boy stepped forward and raised his hands. Metal poles and supports that had been knocked free in the werewolf's rampage suddenly began levitating. With a flick of his wrists, Mat sent the pieces rocketing towards the beast, knocking her over. There, they proceeded to pummel her, though they didn't appear to be doing much. With a roar, Reyna leapt to her feet and shoved the metal pieces away.

The front doors to the mall suddenly flung open as cops and law enforcement charged in and open fired. The teens dove behind cover to avoid the rain of bullets that only seemed to annoy the beast.

At the head of the cops was a man in a long trench coat, Van Helsing style. He wore blue jeans, combat boots, a dark shirt, and fingerless gloves covering both hands, each of which carried a pistol. His dark brown hair cascaded around his head and he had dark stubble growing along his bottom jaw. Despite the fact that he appeared to be in charge, he looked young, in his early to mid thirties.

The man ran forward, lifted his pistols, and began to open fire. Every shot nailed Reyna, though like the rest of his men it only succeeded in annoying her. He reached the werewolf as his clips ran out. Without missing a beat, he emptied the cambers, tossed the guns over her head as he slid between her legs, caught them again, pushed back his coat to reveal several more clips, reloaded, and began shooting again as he made his way towards the teens.

"Ok," muttered Link, "can anyone say 'bad-ass'?"

"Why thank you," said the man as he reached them. "I try. The name's Lance, Lance Warren. I'm the guy who replaced McNair as the Chief of Police. Nice to meet ya."

"You," corrected Elizabeth. Five pairs of eyes blinked at her. "What? I think grammar is important!"

"Anyways," said Link, "Barricade, Magneto, think you can stall her?" Marcus and Mat nodded before standing. Mat flung out his hands and then brought them together again. As a massive **clap **sounded all the metal in the room suddenly came to life and dog-piled Reyna, the weight knocking her to the ground. As soon as she was pinned, Marcus erected an orange pyramid around the pile, locking it all in place.

"Hey, watch it!" Said Lance as he reholstered his gun which Mat had accidentally pulled out of the man's hands.

"Barricade huh?" Said Marcus. "I kinda like the sound of that."

"Kind of," muttered Elizabeth.

"At least you can use yours," said Mat, ignoring her. "I'd have some serious copy-right issues. And I really don't want to handle that."

"That barrier won't hold long," said Aegis as she stared at the orange structure. They could see the metal pushing against it as the prisoner strained from within. "From what we've seen already, she was built to to take everything in stride and just keep moving. She doesn't stop hunting her prey."

"Exactly," growled Link. He stared at Lance. "Before we move on, are you, or might you ever be, a dirty cop."

The Chief turned to face him. From his expression, it was obvious that Lance had taken offense. "I grew up in this town when the Titans still ate pizza three blocks from here every Wednesday. I was the unfortunate kid that just happened to be there every time something went down. Those guys saved my life more times than I can count. Now maybe that doesn't mean anything to you, but it means a Hell of a lot to me. I'm not gonna shame that debt by working for the guys who hurt the innocent people that the Titans worked so hard to save."

Link looked the man up and down before nodding. "I believe you," he said quietly. "Alright then. Nerds, get out your stat cards 'cause here's everything I've got on Reyna. She's your stereotypical werewolf; big, hairy, and deadly. She also has Stage 2 invincibility."

"What's that?" asked Aegis.

"Blunt force," replied Marcus. "Most people have Stage 1 like Superman. Stage 1 means that you can't have your skin broken so weapons like guns and swords have no effect. The only way to hurt them is with blunt force; fists and hammers, things like that. Stage 2 is the opposite. People with Stage 2 have shock absorbers, in this case her fur. The only way to hurt them is with piercing attacks like guns and swords. The only question is why don't guns work?"

"That's easy," answered Link. "Did you notice how her fur seemed kind of greasy? That's because of a special chemical compound created be the Arena. It's non-flammable and causes her fur to become thicker and denser. That thickness blocks the bullets. Like Aegis said, she was made to handle any situation. The fur keeps out the cold so she can handle low temperatures, plus it acts as impenetrable armor. She is their most devastating northern operative. I'm not sure why she came this far south so early in the year, but it's definitely troublesome."

"Heat," said Aegis suddenly, causing all the others to turn to her. "That's how we can beat her. Like you said, the fur keeps the cold out. It does that by stopping her internal body heat from escaping. If we raise her temperature enough, she'll develop heatstroke."

A roar sounded from the pyramid as the pile of metal shook. Cracks began to form along the sides of the orange construct.

"So we need a way to heat things up, huh?" Muttered Lance. "I'd suggest just setting her on fire but you said the chemical was non-flammable..."

"Lasers," said Mat quietly.

"What was that?" Asked Link.

"Lasers. They're beams of pure heat! If we can nail her with enough of them at once, it should do the trick!"

"But where are we going to get that much fire power in so little time!" wondered Marcus.

"I could make a call, but it would take 10 minutes at least," replied Lance.

"The Tower!" Exclaimed Elizabeth. Everyone stared. "Titans Tower! I went on a field trip once and we took a boat. The route went near the island that the Tower was on. However, we weren't allowed on the island because the Titans had set up a massive security system before they left. I could sense the tech with my powers and let me say this, I'm not sure what they were trying to keep out of that place, but I sensed enough stuff to stop Superman, and I could only sense a third of the island! It has more than enough stuff to take her down!"

At that moment, the pyramid shattered and the werewolf pulled herself to her feet. They though she looked angry before, but now she looked down right pissed.

"Alright," said Link loudly. "We have a plan! Aegis, you're with me! We're going to keep her attention. Lance and Marcus, you're on crowd control! Clear us a path and keep civvies away! Lizzie and Mat," he paused to stare at them. "Get to the Tower. We need that system ready to take her down, but I don't want to go with her. Let's go!"


End file.
